Bundesheer

The Bundesheer, also known as the Austrian Federal Army, is the military of Austria. The Bundesheer was founded on 18 March 1920 out of the semi-regularVolkswehr ("people's defense") forces, who had fought against Yugoslavian forces occupying parts of Carinthia. The military was highly politicized during the Austrofascism era, with the right-wing and nationalist Heimwehr paramilitary being absorbed into the army in 1936. In 1938, the Bundesheer developed a battle plan in the case of an invasion of Nazi Germany, but the Anschluss occurred peacefully, and the Austrian military was absorbed into the German Wehrmacht. In 1955, Austria proclaimed its everlasting neutrality, and the military's purpose became to defend Austrian neutrality. In 2017, the Austrian armed forces had 25,963 active personnel and 27,000 reservists.